Now that the Suppressor Tax Stamp Is $0, Here's How to Get Your Hands on One

For such a relatively simple device, gun suppressors generate a tremendous amount of confusion. What does it mean for a suppressor to be “full-auto rated”? Do suppressors slow down a bullet or reduce accuracy? Why do some suppressors have barrel length restrictions? What metals are used to build them? Which are the most effective?

To help answer these questions and more, I reached out to Lukas VanLaecken, the director of engineering and manufacturing for Silencer Central. Silencer Central sells suppressors from many manufacturers, but they also make their own, and Lukas oversees the engineering and R&D work for their new and existing products. I can't think of a better person to answer some of the most frequently asked suppressor questions, and I was excited to sit down with him for a wide-ranging interview.

Once you know which suppressor you want, you need to go through the legal process to purchase one. Before outfits like Silencer Central and Silencer Shop came on the scene, buying a suppressor was a bit like a DIY Colorado elk hunt. You could get advice from the guy at the gun store, and there were plenty of how-to's on the forums, but otherwise you were mostly on your own. If you'd like to maintain that pioneering spirit-or you just enjoy filing paperwork-this article outlines that old-school process.

However, while you might not like the idea of an outfitter guiding you up to an elk so you can pull the trigger, letting someone else do all the legwork buying a suppressor is definitely the way to go. It's faster, simpler, and there's a much smaller chance you'll make a mistake that will delay the entire process.

There are several companies that act like outfitters for filing your Form 4, but the one I used most recently is Silencer Central. Basically, Silencer Central takes the entire process out of the gun store and brings it home.

As with any gear-related decision, toting a suppressor into the field comes with trade-offs.

On the “pro” side of the ledger, hunting with a suppressor allows you to maintain your situational awareness by not dampening one of your five primary senses. It saves your hearing even if you're not wearing hearing protection, can increase your in-the-field accuracy (especially with large calibers), and avoids spooking game if you do happen to miss. Hunting with a gun muffler is also a good choice if you chase game on small properties with neighbors nearby.

However, a suppressor will make your rifle longer and heavier, even with an ultra-light titanium can. It can also throw off your rifle's balance, and let's not forget the added cost and hassle of buying one in the first place.

I can't tell you which side of the ledger you find more convincing, but you should keep all the pros and cons in mind before making a purchase.

Shotgun suppressors remain a niche product, but there may come a day when more hunters find them useful. If manufacturers can advance suppressors to the point where they lower sound levels to a level where hunters can safely shoot without the need for hearing protection, there will be a place for cans in pheasant fields, duck blinds, the turkey woods, and on clay ranges for those who shoot autoloaders or pump-action guns.

Suppressors do add length to your shotgun barrel, but if the game changes and cans dampen shotgun reports to safe levels, expect to see shotgun manufacturers designing shorter barrels for sporting shotguns.

If suppressors continue to evolve, they will not only save our hearing but also minimize pressure on wild game, especially waterfowl, which are extremely averse to the blast from a 12-gauge. Public-land hunters will be able to keep their secret spots secret. And fewer non-hunters will be apt to complain about the noise of shotgun fodder… because there won't be any.

Guns are loud. They also recoil. Neither of these features are pleasant for the person pulling the trigger, so gunmakers have spent considerable time and effort creating products that mitigate these effects.

The two most common are muzzle brakes and suppressors. Muzzle brakes are designed a million ways from Sunday, but they all feature a series of ports that redirect the gasses expelled from the barrel and reduce felt recoil. Suppressors, on the other hand, use a series of internal baffles to decrease the sound (or “report”) produced from the ignition of gunpowder.

Both are useful for hunters and competitive shooters, but each offer advantages and disadvantages that might make one better for you. Making that decision requires a bit more information, which is exactly what you'll find in this article.

If you do decide to pull the trigger on a suppressor, you might find that those months-long wait times you've heard about are a thing of the past.

How did the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives reduce their approval times by as much as 5000% without hiring any additional staff or relaxing their standards? In this article, we speak with industry experts and suppressor manufacturers to explain what happened.

Silencer Central CEO Brandon Maddox told me last year that he expects suppressor demand to skyrocket now that tax stamps are free. The seven-month gap between when Congress made that decision and when it actually took effect meant many suppressor buyers chose to wait and save that $200. The result of that pent up demand might be that the barrier to entry in 2026 is suppressor supply more than any regulatory or financial burden.

Those predictions might be coming true. I surveyed some of the top suppressor dealers in the country, and all had significant percentages of their products not currently available.

Silencer Central: 65% out of stock (202 out of stock vs. 111 in stock)
Silencer Shop: 44% out of stock (279 out of stock vs. 360 in stock)
Capitol Armory: 51% out of stock (123 out of stock vs. 118 in stock)

There are still plenty of cans on the shelves, and you might have even better luck at your local gun dealer. But it's only been a little over two weeks since the tax stamps went to $0. As more and more gun owners hear about the change, I'd expect the demand to continue to increase.

We can hope suppressor manufacturers have been preparing, but as Maddox told me, it was hard to ramp up manufacturing last year when would-be buyers were waiting until January 1, 2026, to pull the trigger. Now that that date has come and gone, it might be wise to order the can you've been wanting before it goes out of stock. When it does, it's tough to know when it'll be back on the shelves again.